This Forum will be of interest to our Engineers in the IEEE Foothill Section / Inland Empire region as well as all IEEE engineers throughout Southern California who have an interest and a need to know about the critical issues facing Engineering Entrepreneurs and Engineering Consultants. It will help these budding Engineering Entrepreneurs and Engineering Consultants plan their transition from their current professional employment mode into these professional states. Even if you have not made a definite commitment to go this professional route, the presentations and follow-up Q&A sessions should help you consider the potential pitfalls and rewards ahead. This is a plus in your career planning. All practicing engineers, as well as current engineering consultants, will find these presentations timely and informative. Expect to be challenged by the professional speakers at this Forum.

Separate sessions are planned for these topics:

Mobile Communications with Social Media for Engineers,

Updated US Patent Law Issues for Engineering Entrepreneurs,

Ethical Issues that Confront the Practicing Engineer,

“Start-up Engineer Entrepreneurs Tell Their Story”.

For further information on our speakers, and their topics, please see our IEEE Foothill website:

PRESENTATION (1) MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA FOR ENGINEERS

PRESENTOR: TRIBHUWAN CHOUBEY

TOPICS INCLUDE: A look at Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Yammer, iPhone app Talko and others. Yes, Social Media, but are they productive for EEs and other engineers? What information do engineers need to communicate? When do they need to communicate it? How best to communicate it?

PRESENTATION (2) UPDATED US PATENT LAW ISSUES FOR ENGINEERING ENTREPRENEURS

PRESENTOR: RAYMOND ROBERTS, BSEE, JD

TOPICS INCLUDE: How has the Smith-Leahy law passed by US Congress in September 2012 been implemented? What changes in this law have been proposed? How would the SCOTUS decision April 2014 in “ALICE” potentially effect engineering entrepreneurs?

TOPICS INCLUDE: Why do Engineers need Ethics? How and Why do Personal Ethics and Business Ethics differ? How do they overlap and complement each other? A view of the historical path which led towards development of business ethics. Some contemporary Business Ethics issues that need discussion, including Insider trading, Software development, EEs changing jobs, Wage fixing.

Co-sponsored by Orange County and Los Angeles County Consultants Networks

Dr. Goodman will explain how humans are unique animals in their use of energy. How we really need to use a lot of energy to thrive, and yet–getting most of that energy as we now do by burning something–we are rapidly making the Earth uninhabitable for humans.

This is our dilemma: How to get all the energy we need without killing ourselves in the process. Dr. Goodman will then describe briefly a very audacious solution that not only gives us all the energy we could possibly use and at a cost far smaller than what we now are paying, it will also let us cure our global climate problem, and much more. If we choose this path we’ll face a wondrous array of engineering challenges along the way, and reap enormous benefits at the end. Do any of you wish for space travel for everyone? That’s included as well.

No Admission Charge.

Dr. Goodman will explain how humans are unique animals in their use of energy. How we really need to use a lot of energy to thrive, and yet–getting most of that energy as we now do by burning something–we are rapidly making the Earth uninhabitable for humans. This is our dilemma: How to get all the energy we need without killing ourselves in the process. Dr. Goodman will then describe briefly a very audacious solution that not only gives us all the energy we could possibly use and at a cost far smaller than what we now are paying, it will also let us cure our global climate problem, and much more. If we choose this path we’ll face a wondrous array of engineering challenges along the way, and reap enormous benefits at the end. Do any of you wish for space travel for everyone? That’s included as well.

Biography: John M. Goodman is a writer, designer, consultant, and inventor. Educated at Swarthmore College (B.A. in Physics with minors in Math and Chemistry) and Cornell University (Ph.D. in Physics with a minor in the History of Science and Technology), he has taught at a variety of high profile institutions including Harvey Mudd College and California Institute of the Arts. He also has been a consultant to numerous organizations including Scientific American magazine, Charles and Rae Eames design studio, and Intelligent Optical Systems, among others.

He is an author (with eight published books and numerous articles, so far), an inventor, a grant writer, and has taught physical science, mathematics, computer science and practical computer maintenance in a wide range of venues. He was President of one of the largest computer user groups in the nation as well as a respected journalist writing for InfoWorld and Byte magazines. He also founded and ran an interactive science museum, predecessor to the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana.

He is a life member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi and has at times been a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association of Museums, American Association of Physics Teachers, American Physical Society, Computer Press

Association, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Mensa, Museum Educators of Southern California, and the Orange County Arts Alliance.

LED Design and its applications Part 2:

Sponsored by the Power & Energy (PES) Chapter of IEEE Foothill Section, and the IEEE Student PES Chapter of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Thursday, May 8, 2014, 7PM to 9:00 PM

Held At California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Summary of this Presentation: “Why LED is Successful”

The presentation will be an overview of the nature of LED and the LED impact on power saving. How the LED associate accessory are making it successful. The variety of Low, Medium and High Power LED The varieties of LED Colors are allowed for more creative opportunities. And The LED impact on the present and the future of lighting

Summary about Presenter:

Ray Malki, Hi Tech Architect, is an Electronic Engineer (1980, Damascus-Syria) and has a MBA in International Marketing (1997, Azusa Pacific University). Ray is an IEEE Member since 1986.

Since 2006, Hi Tech Architect of Glendora, CA has been involved in Energy Management and Project Management.

Volunteering Positions

The AIAA Los Angeles-Las Vegas Section is looking for volunteers. People are encouraged to volunteer for more than 1 day. Volunteers must commit to a minimum of 4 hours (on the same day). Volunteers will be comped for the time they serve. People who volunteer for the social media promotion effort will receive free conference registration.

UCLA Extension is offering Spring 2014 Short Courses. UCLA Extension is one
of the largest providers of continuing education in the United States, and
continues a 50+ year tradition of presenting quality technical and
management short courses for engineers, information technology
professionals, and technical managers seeking to keep abreast of new and
rapidly changing technologies. Take a 2-5 day short course emphasizing on
highly specialized content.

We will be offering a short course on DSP for Communication Systems on
April 16-18. This course addresses how engineering functions can be
implemented in a cost-effective way by using computational means instead of
analog hardware.Sign up now!

Purpose:
The Engineering Essentials Workshop is a set of free intermediate courses on the following PSpice and MATLAB tools for engineering careers. These free workshops are offered to help give student engineers a leg up on your education, while providing them with an opportunity to network with other engineering students and industry professionals. Open to students from all disciplines. In addition, workshops provide a venue to attract non-members to join IEEE members.

Results from Software Essentials Workshop FALL 2013:
• Workshops were filled with 10-15 people attending each – mostly students and some industry professionals.
• Good opportunity to network among the attendees.
• Encouraged non-members to sign up, which included a discount for lunch as an incentive.

Help in Starting and Maintaining Your Consulting Practice

For our Saturday, January 25th meeting, we will be starting off the New Year with presentations by Kimberly Renee Alvarez, Bob Gauger and Bill Grist that focus on starting and maintaining your consulting practice.

Kimberly Renee Alvarez, an RF and Microwave Design Consultant, will share her experiences with starting her consulting services two years ago in that bad economy. She will discuss how she got started and how she successfully approached getting clients. Kimberly will conclude with some brief thoughts on the problems a senior level engineer has in convincing clients that her experience is still up to date and relevant.

Bob Gauger will address the issues and advantages/disadvantages to including job shopping in your repertoire as a consultant. In general, consultants look down on job shoppers, as they are not
independent and don’t get paid as much. Companies, scared by the IRS, may want to bring you in on a W-2, not a 1099. Further as a job shopper, they avoid the additional troubles of generating and
maintaining you as contractor. However, using a job shop may be a viable alternative in difficult times. Bob will end with a discussion on how to approach the job shopper market.

Bill Grist, our AICNCC representative, will discuss the potential upcoming April “Consultants Network Workshop”. The workshop will cover an ambitious agenda of networking, consultant best practices, professional licensing, job hunting and start-up company information. Previously presented in the Chicago area it was a great success and will be a must for both experienced consulting and those considering consulting.

As always, this meeting will be helpful to those considering consulting, those with an active consulting practice, and those interested in starting a new business.
The Orange County Consultants Network (OCCN) will again be meeting with the Los Angeles Area Consultants Network (LAACN).

Parking: Saturday parking is free. Enter from Nutwood
and take Folino Drive north to Parking Lot E. See maps at parking.fullerton.edu.maps for more detail.
Next meeting: Saturday February 25th, 2014.
Lunch is free with reservation.